Lebkuchen is a traditional German cookie that is perfect for the Christmas holidays. My easy-to-follow gluten-free lebkuchen recipe makes it easy for those on a gluten-free diet to enjoy this classic cookie. These soft, spiced cookies are full of warm flavors and are topped with a simple, sweet glaze. Even better? Your kitchen will smell amazing while these cookies are baking.
If you love German recipes, try these Gluten-Free Pfeffernusse Cookies and this Gluten-Free Stollen.
❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
In celebration of some of our family members obtaining German citizenship, I am working on a few new gluten-free German recipes for the blog. I have a few already, but it is time for me to get more holiday baking started. My latest recipe, these gluten-free lebkuchen, will surely please every cookie lover!
These homemade lebkuchen have all of the incredible gingerbread flavors and spices you will love! These gluten free iced gingerbread cookies are the perfect cookies to make for the Christmas holidays and cookie exchange parties.
I have 100s of delicious gluten-free cookie recipes on the blog. Let me know which of my cookie recipes you make. You can also find them in my Gluten-Free Cookie Guide.
If you love gingerbread as much as we do, you will want to try these Gluten Free Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls and these Gluten Free Gingerbread Donuts recipes.
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Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Blend. You may need 1 additional tablespoon of flour if you use Bob’s 1:1. Other blends will work, but you may need to adjust the moisture level. Read why gluten-free flour blends vary for more information.
- Almond Flour – Use finely ground almond flour, such as Anthony’s Almond Flour. If you are nut-free, try my Gluten-Free Gingerdoodle Cookies.
- Brown Sugar – Use light or dark brown sugar.
- Baking Powder – I recommend using aluminum-free baking powder
- Molasses – I used blackstrap molasses. Regular molasses is also fine to use.
- Honey – Use an inexpensive honey. There is no need to use an expensive artisanal honey type in this recipe.
- Butter – I recommend using unsalted butter.
- Egg – Size large.
A Note From My Kitchen
These cookies bring back memories from before I was gluten-free. These glazed cookies have a delicious, sweet, and light spice flavor. I worked really hard testing this recipe multiple times to make sure it tastes exactly like the real thing. None of my neighbors knew they were gluten-free!
Since this is an internationally beloved cookie, I wanted to take a moment to discuss flour blends. Every flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio, which affects the moisture level. You need to adjust if your dough is too wet or dry. Add more flour or butter, one tablespoon at a time, until your cookie dough has the right soft cookie texture.
How to Make Gluten-Free Lebkuchen (Step-By-Step)
You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to make these cookies or mix them by hand in a mixing bowl. They will turn out delicious either way.
Step 1: Partially melt the butter and add it to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs, molasses, honey, and vanilla extract. Turn on the mixer on low until the wet ingredients are blended together.
Step 2: I recommend mixing the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl so the spices mix evenly into the flour. This ensures the rich gingerbread flavor is in every bite! Whisk to mix them all together.
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Step 3: Turn the mixer off and slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix at low speed each time you add more dry ingredients. Repeat until all of the dry ingredients are mixed in.
Step 4: You will notice your dough is sticky. This is normal because of the honey and molasses. Remove the cookie dough from the bowl and place it on plastic wrap. Wrap the dough up and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour.
Step 5: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350º F. You will notice when you unwrap the cookie dough, it is still a bit sticky. This is okay.
👀 Sandi Says: The secret to working with this cookie dough is to spray a little cooking spray on your hand. Rub your hands together to spread the oil.
Use a spoon or small cookie scoop to scoop up the dough. Roll the dough into balls and place them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Step 6: Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. The baking time can vary depending on the size of the cookies you make. This recipe makes 36 small cookies. Remove them from the oven and slide the parchment paper with the cookies onto a cooling rack.
Step 7: While the cookies cool, let’s mix the icing. Add the powdered sugar and water to a small bowl. Whisk to mix them into a thin glaze.
Step 8: Place wax paper under the cooling rack. When the cookies are cool, dip each one into the icing.
Step 9: I coat the top and sides of the cookies, then place them on the rack so the excess icing drips off the cookies. The cookies are ready to eat when the glaze over the cookies has dried.
Tips For Success
1. This recipe will require the cookie dough to chill for at least an hour.
2. Don’t put the cookie dough balls on a hot cookie sheet. For this recipe, you will need two cookie sheets, or let the one cool before starting the second batch! They start baking immediately, and it messes with their shape. Use a couple of sheets and rotate them out when making large batches of cookies.
3. Read my Gluten-Free Cookie Troubleshooting Guide for more cookie-baking tips.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes, these cookies are also delicious without the icing!
You can use coconut sugar as a substitute for brown sugar in this recipe.
Store these cookies in an airtight container. They will keep fresh for up to 4 days. I recommend freezing the cookies if you do not plan to eat them soon. They can be frozen in a freezer-safe container or a zipper bag.
More Gluten-Free Christmas Cookie Recipes:
Fill a cookie tin for gifting this holiday season. Here are my favorite gluten-free cookies to fill it with:
- Gluten-Free Swiss Brunsli Cookies
- Gluten-Free Danish Butter Cookies
- Easy Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Gluten-Free Spritz Cookies
- A collection of my best Gluten-Free Christmas Cookie recipes.
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Traditional Gluten-Free Lebkuchen Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see notes
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup molasses * see notes
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons water Use more or less depending on how thick you want your glaze.
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Instructions
- To make this recipe, you can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to make these cookies or mix them by hand in a mixing bowl. They will turn out delicious either way.
- Partially melt the 1/4 cup unsalted butter and add it to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the 2 large eggs, 1/4 cup molasses, 1/3 cup honey, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Turn on the mixer on low until the wet ingredients are blended together.
- I recommend mixing the 2 cups gluten free flour blend, 1 cup almond flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon salt in a mixing bowl so the spices mix evenly into the flour. This ensures the rich gingerbread flavor is in every bite! Whisk to mix them.
- Turn the mixer off and slowly add the dry ingredients, one cup at a time, to the wet ingredients. Mix at low speed each time you add more dry ingredients. Repeat until all of the dry ingredients are mixed in.
- You will notice your dough is sticky. This is normal because of the honey and molasses. Remove the cookie dough from the bowl and place it on plastic wrap. Wrap the dough up and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350º F. You will notice when you unwrap the cookie dough, it is still a bit sticky. This is okay. The secret to working with this cookie dough is to spray a little cooking spray on your hand. Rub your hands together to spread the oil.
- Use a spoon or small cookie scoop to scoop up dough. Roll the dough into balls and place them on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. The baking time can vary depending on the size of the cookies you make. This recipe makes 36 small cookies. Remove them from the oven and slide the parchment paper with the cookies onto a cooling rack.
Glaze
- While the cookies cool, let's mix the icing. Add the 2 cups powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons water to a small bowl. Whisk to mix them into a thin glaze.
- Place wax paper under the cooling rack. When the cookies are cool, dip each one into the icing. I coat the top and sides of the cookie, then place them on the rack so the excess icing drips down off the cookies. The cookies are ready to eat when the glaze over the cookies has dried.
Notes
- I tested this flour with King Arthur Measure for Measure. Other blends should also work well. Every blend has a different starch to grain ratio. The rule of thumb is if the cookie dough is dry, add more liquid. If the dough is watery, add more flour. In this recipe, the dough is supposed to be sticky, but you should be able to make cookie balls with it.
- If your blend doesn’t contain a binder, add 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum.
- I recommend using inexpensive honey in this recipe. There is no need to use fancy, expensive honey.
- I used blackstrap molasses because it has rich flavor, but any type works well.
- Store these cookies in an airtight container. They will keep fresh for up to 4 days. I recommend freezing the cookies if you do not plan to eat them soon. They can be frozen in a freezer-safe container or zipper bag.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
Gluten-Free Related Reading
Gluten-free baking is like a science experiment. There are so many things you need to understand the different components of baking without gluten. My Gluten-Free Resources Section is here to help teach you the tools you need to know to become a confident gluten free baker.
My Best Gluten-Free Baking Tips For Better Baking!
Why Binders Are Important In Gluten-Free Baking
The Best Gluten Free Flour Blends – And how to use them!
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Can this be made with dark karo syrup rather than molasses? i never use molasses and it just sits in my cupboard so i hate to buy it. Not fond of molasses usually.
Hi Barbara, I am hesitant to make a guess on this. I have never used karo syrup like this.
can this recipe be made without almond flour,
Hi Marie, I haven’t tested it without almond flour. If you are looking for a great gingerbread cookie, try my gluten free gingerdoodles recipe. https://www.fearlessdining.com/gluten-free-gingerdoodles/